Social media defines online media such as text, photos, or video. It’s “social” in that it starts conversations and encourages people to connect to each other. Many libraries are finding that when used properly, social media can save money, promote library services, and further a sense of community. Social media is another way of having conversations with our patrons and of reaching people who don’t typically visit the library. Those conversations offer insights into what people want and how we can best deliver it!

Examples of Social Media
Facebook allows you to set up a profile and post updates, links, conversations, events, photos, and videos. Foursquare tracks your physical location and lets you easily check-in to tell friends where you are. Twitter lets you send a stream of short messages called “tweets” that include updates about what you’re doing or links to resources. Blogs are online sites that contain updates, told from a personal perspective, and arranged in reverse chronological order. Photo sharing websites like Flickr allow you to post and share photos on the web. Video sharing websites like YouTube allow you to display and build community around your videos.

Helpful Resources
The Nonprofit Social Media Decision Guide walks you through a step-by-step process and workbook to help you decide what social media channels make sense for your library. (NOTE: You will have to sign in to download the free report.)